From Denny: The President gave the Republicans their 7 1/2 hours of fame to pony up to the bar and deliver a realistic compromise on health care. With the whole world watching, Senator McCain grandstanded and acted like a fool, looking for votes in his re-election bid. Other Republicans offered no offers for real health care, caring only to continue to reassure their insurance company lobbyists the GOP is still on the job to help them keep their gargantuan profits and greed intact.
After watching an hour of this travesty, I decided one thing. It's time to impeach a lot of Senators. House Speaker Pelosi has done her job this year. She delivered 290 bills to the Senate for vote. How many have the Senate voted upon or passed? Zero. How obnoxious is that?
Today's summit was good for one thing: it finally drove home to the President to quit placating the GOP and start leading on this health care front. Today he acknowledged it is evident there is no compromise possible between the political parties.
The dastardly Republicans continue to push the notion of starting all over again on this reform, knowing full well it will sink the effort. It could take years to come to a vote, if ever. These puppets of the lobbyists just reek in their corruption.
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After hosting this marathon TV special debate, Obama has come to the conclusion that he must do what is best for the American people. To accomplish that he knows his way is clear: use the controversial Senate budget rules - that would not allow the Republicans to use filibusters - in order to pass the health care reform.
The President and the Democrats need to quit believing the polls, claiming by a slim margin the country is against the Democrats pushing this bill through on their own without the Republicans. Duh. Most polls these days are paid for by lobbyists with an agenda just like so-called drug studies paid for by drug companies making the exaggerated claims they do. Trust me; create real health care reform and the country will settle down to the business of choosing their best plans and move on to something else.
The only way to get this contentiousness out of the house is to take the vote off the table with a decision to move ahead without the folks who are cavalier toward the health of others. Oh, and while you are at it, Mr. President, sign a Presidential directive and take away the great government "public option" health care plans "The Party of No" politicians use every day to their benefit. If that health care plan isn't good enough for the public then they don't need it either. We taxpayers no longer wish to pay for their health care. They can pay for their own damn health care plan just like the rest of us.
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Here's the real rub with the insurance companies: If a public option plan is available to Americans, then it would force them to lower their profits. Already, insurance companies are wildly increasing premiums by as much as 40% to their customers. They have repeatedly increased premiums with no one to stop them or slow the pace. At some point people can no longer afford the premiums and that time is here.
The biggest reason lobbyists and the Republicans are fighting this reform effort is one reason: If America goes to a single payer system like in Canada, then insurance companies are abolished. Yes, no more insurance companies! Wouldn't that be a dream. The Republicans are fearful they would lose their best campaign contributors and lose poltical seats in Congress with no one to finance them. So, you see, it all comes down to money: insurance companies and their greedy profits would be a thing of the past and the Republicans would have to compete just like the Democratic candidates, with a lot less money in the coffers.
Canada's single payer health system works well for 34 million people. Could the same model also work for 300 million Americans, providing a far larger pool of healthy people to spread the risk?
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